What I Read: April 2021

It’s time for this month’s reading round-up! Overall it wasn’t my best reading month. I had quite a few books that I started and then ended up ditching. I’m at the point that if I can’t get into a book, I’ll give up on it pretty quickly.

BUT the books I *did* stick with I’m super excited to tell you about it. It’s an eclectic mix this month: an incredible YA book, the book I’ve seen ALL over Instagram, a book that totally took me by surprise, and a rare-for-me read: non-fiction.

As always I’d love to hear from you: What books did you read this month? Anything amazing I need to check out?

What I Read This Month:

With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo

I’ve LOVED everything written by Elizabeth Acevedo so so so much. At the beginning of the month, I was struggling with reading motivation and kept disliking everything I tried to read. I knew I could count on an Elizabeth Acevedo book to get me out of the reading slump, and this book definitely did just that.

Ever since Emoni Santiago got pregnant her freshman year of high school, she’s made all of her decisions based on what’s best for her daughter and her Abuela.

Emoni has always had an almost magical talent when it comes to cooking. While she dreams of being a chef someday, it seems totally impossible given her responsibilities at home. When her high school offers a unique cooking class her senior year, everything starts to change for Emoni.

Unlike Elizabeth Acevedo’s other two books, this one is written in prose rather than verse. I think this actually makes this book even richer as I felt SO connected to Emoni and the people in her life. Wow, did I feel for her.

I devoured this book, no pun intended. My high school experience couldn’t be more different than Emoni’s, I can’t even imagine the pressure of having that kind of responsibility when you’re so young. Seeing her growth throughout the book was so incredible, and I found myself getting weepy towards the end. This book was just what I needed, and I have a feeling I’ll be thinking about Emoni for a while.

My Rating: 5/5

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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry

After reading (and LOVING) Emily Henry’s previous novel Beach Read, I was SO excited to get my hands on an early copy of her newest book thanks to Book of the Month.

Poppy and Alex couldn’t be more opposite. She’s a bit of a wild child, Alex is straight lace and super serious. After bonding on a long car ride home from college, like a modern-day When Harry Met Sally, the two become the absolute best of friends. They make a pact to take a big trip every summer together.

Two years ago, something happened on the trip that ruins everything about their friendship.

Poppy is determined to make everything right, though, and reconnects with Alex for one last vacation together in Palm Springs. Things of course don’t go exactly according to plan.

I didn’t *love* this book as much as I thought I was going to. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I think maybe it just felt like it dragged on. Usually, I love a “slow burn” where we get to know the characters over a long period of time… but for some reason, this just dragged on to me instead.

I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority as I’ve seen tons of posts about this book all over Instagram. It seems everyone else is obsessed with this book. As always, take my opinion with a grain of salt — just because I didn’t love it doesn’t mean you won’t!

My Rating – 3.5/5

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Bright Side by Kim Holden

CW: Eating disorders, homophobia, and lots of grief.

My friend has been telling me to read her favorite book, Bright Side, for a while now. I hadn’t heard anything about it otherwise but wow, do I understand why it’s her favorite now. If I had to sum up this book, it’s like a Nicolas Sparks novel meets Perks of Being a Wallflower and it had me full out ugly crying my way through the end of the book

Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. Her life has been full of hardship, tragedy, and an overwhelming amount of grief for someone that’s only 18. But even so, she embodies the nickname her best friend Gus gave her, Bright Side, and continues to be a ball of positivity and optimism.

We meet her as she leaves her hometown of San Diego to attend college in the middle of nowhere Minnesota. Despite her sunny disposition, she has a lot of secrets she’s holding on to. Because of this the last thing she expects is to fall for someone and turns out he has a big secret of his own.

I LOVED this book. I was so immersed in Katie’s world and the people in her life, even smaller side characters. After finishing the book, I immediately texted my friend because I needed to talk to someone about this book ASAP. Even a few weeks later, I can’t seem to let go of this book and the characters. They totally suck you in.

With that said, it’s far from a perfect book. Katie is like this magical creature that is too kind and good to be true — but she’s also been through so much in life and can’t seem to catch a break. I do feel like the story is a bit unrealistic for one human to endure SO much tragedy. Not that books have to be realistic, but it felt like things were piled on just to be piled on. My heart broke for Katie.

Is it a perfect book? No. But it is one of my favorite books I’ve recently read? OH YES.

My Rating: 5/5

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The New One by Mike Birbiglia

I’ve been a long-time fan of comedian Mike Birbiglia. After being emotionally wrecked by Bright Side, I needed something totally different.

This book is a written version of a comedy show Mike Birbiglia toured, also called The New One. While I’ve seen the show a few times, this book had new content and jokes that weren’t part of the stage show. Through The New One Mike shares some of his darkest thoughts about having children and his own experience as a new parent. The book is also sprinkled with poetry by his wife, Jen who shares her own perspective on being a new parent.

As someone that loves Mike Birbiglia, this book is such a treat. I found myself laughing at jokes I’ve heard before, but also loving new ones that didn’t make it to the stage show. I think people who don’t know his comedy will still appreciate this book but it might help to watch a few of his specials or clips on YouTube so you get an idea of his vibe.

My Rating: 4.5/5

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